After Midnight and Far Past Paradise
by Midnight Dahlias
Summary: Sasuke is beginning to descend into chaos, taking Naruto and Sakura with him. What was lost will be found, and the dead just won't stay that way. Sequel to "The Secrets That Keep Us Up All Night" SEE WARNING INSIDE
1. Definition of Hell

**_WARNING:_ If you thought "The Secrets That Keep Us Up All Night" was graphic and morbid, DO NOT READ THIS SEQUEL. I'm really going to push the envelope on this one. There WILL be a lot of violence, blood, language, and sexuality, and it won't be peaches and cream. _DO NOT READ THIS STORY IF YOU CANNOT HANDLE VIOLENCE IN ITS EXTREME FORM._  
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**THIS IS A PROLOGUE. All of these events are flashbacks, except for that little bit at the end. I'm too terribly excited about this story to hold it in.**

"Can't sleep?" Sakura looked sympathetically at her husband as he wandered into the kitchen. He sighed, raking a hand through his hair.

"Headache."

Sakura frowned. "You've been getting a lot of those lately, Sasuke." He grunted, massaging his eyes.

"I can barely use my Sharingan these days." Her eyes widened.

"…..Have you been sore?"

"Yes. I keep having these dreams." Sakura waited for him to finish, afraid to ask. "My brother keeps invading my dreams. Telling me how I'm cursed. That I'm evil. Tell me, Sakura," he looked back at his wife, eyes wild, bleeding red to Mangekou, courtesy of Orochimaru. "Am I evil?"

"Sasuke, calm down-"

"You didn't answer the question, Sakura." Sasuke didn't look in his right mind anymore. "What am I? !"

"Sasuke, stop!" Sakura stood, grabbing his face. "Why is this coming up now?"

"I don't know, I don't know!" Sasuke's eyes squeezed shut. Sakura couldn't believe this was happening. The insomnia must have been worse than she originally thought.

"Sasuke, deep breaths." His breathing became harsh, choked. His Sharingan faded, face going pale, his mouth gasping.

"Sasuke? !" Sasuke fell to the ground, an ocean of blood pouring from his lips, sticky and black. "NO!" Sakura clutched to Sasuke, shaking him. "Not you too! Please! Don't leave me!"

O*O*O*O*O*

Sakura crashed into the ground, breathing hard, clutching her stomach. Hinata circled back around, Naruto hot on her heels. Sakura screamed like a wild animal.

"Sakura-chan! What happened?" Naruto kneeled by his friend, holding her hand. Sakura screamed louder, face contorted. Hinata turned on her Byakugan, scanning her body quickly.

When she could breathe, Sakura started to cry. "It's too soon! It won't survive!"

"What?" Naruto looked up helplessly to Hinata, who was looking similarly upset. Her white eyes scanned the desert. A sand storm had been on their tails since they hit the desert, but now it was upon them.

"Naruto, follow me!" Hinata's Byakugan was her only sight now, for the sand had blocked the sun, and everyone had to close their eyes to avoid the swirling sand. They barely made it inside the cave she had found before the sand storm became full force. Naruto placed Sakura inside, behind a pile of rocks to shield her from the storm. In vain, he tried to use his Namikaze jitsus to move the particles enough to pass through the storm to get to Suna. They were still fairly far away, but Naruto knew whatever was wrong with Sakura, it would be best dealt with in a hospital, or at least, not inside a raging storm. Nothing.

Naruto looked back at the two most important women in his life, watching one cry in fear, the other anxious with thought. "Hinata-chan, what's going on?"

"Please, Hinata, make it stop! Please!" Sakura begged between her sobs. "It's not time! It will die!"

"Uchiha-san, please calm down," Hinata used her doctor's voice, the comforting tone that was also commanding and firm. For most, this carefully practiced tone was soothing, assuring them that they had a calm and very proficient doctor. It fell on deaf ears. "Calm down, Sakura, you will make it worse." Sakura continued to cry, becoming incoherent as her back arched so far off the ground, she was balancing on the back of her head. As her spasm released, she choked on her scream, panting, coughing, crying.

Naruto knew better than to interrupt, but he still paced with worry around them, brow contracting with every desperate scream ripping apart Sakura's throat. Hinata finally looked up, concern etched over her expression. "Naruto, her baby is coming now."

Naruto stopped walking, staring, horrified. "But-but I thought-! She's only seven months! Barely that!" Hinata nodded, not surprised that Naruto knew so much about Sakura's second pregnancy. He wasn't able to participate in Sakura's first, and now that he was considering a family, he was desperate to help and learn.

"That's what I'm worried about. Sakura's right." Hinata gazed down at the weakly sobbing kunochi. "Her baby has been small through the whole pregnancy, and now he's coming early." Hinata motioned for Naruto to face away from Sakura and come closer. "I'm not sure he'll be able to breathe, not to mention that Sakura's body hasn't adjusted for childbirth yet. Without a hospital, there's a very real danger that her baby will never be born and they will both die."

Naruto's face was frozen in a rectus of complete terror. He shot back to the entrance of the cave, trying again to clear a space so they could escape. "FUCK!" He turned away from the swirling sand now blowing into the mouth of the cave. He slammed his fist into the wall, causing the rocks to break and crumble, thus completely blocking the entrance. Blood dripped from his knuckles as he pulled his hand from the rubble. "At least we'll be safe from the storm here," he said in a low voice. He came over to Sakura's side, kneeling. "What do we do?"

Sakura reached up and seized Naruto's hand, gripping it hard. Naruto cupped his other hand around hers, letting her crush his already wounded knuckles without complaint. She opened her eyes, looking at Naruto through her tears. She silently pleaded to him, begging for the strength to get through this. Naruto heard her, and nodded.

"Just hold on, Sakura-chan. I won't let anything happen to you."

O*O*O*O*O*

"_I was innocent, Sasuke…..you're the monster."_ Sasuke tossed and turned, unable to wake, not even aware that he was dreaming. It was terrifyingly real, seemingly lasting weeks and weeks of seeing everything.

_Itachi shook his head, blood pouring from his closed lids like tears. Sasuke couldn't move. He was shaking hard. The orange sky above him was riddled with black clouds, falcons circling overhead, crying for the blood below. "Do you even understand?" Itachi's face turned up, raising his eyelids. Sasuke cried out in horror. He had no eyes. "I gave you these."_

"_I don't! You never gave me your eyes!" Sasuke cried desperately, terrified at the sight. "You died with your eyes! You're lying!" Itachi blinked and his eyes were back, but the blood was still coming from them, as well as his mouth._

"_Not those eyes, Sasuke. The other ones. The ones that let you use Mangekou."_

"_I had that before you died!"_

_Itachi tilted his head, smiling like he did when he was just a thirteen year old boy, before the massacre. "Are you blind? Because I am."_

"_What the fuck do you want from me? !" Sasuke tried to run, but the black mud under his feet was wrapping up his legs, holding him in place._

"_I gave you my eyes, Sasuke, that's what I wanted. We are the brothers of the Uchiha clan, and you are the last one, because you killed me. You killed the last true Uchiha. You won't even take my gifts to become a better ninja, you just run away from our name." Sasuke shook his head, confused. He squeezed his eyes shut against the throbbing in his head, getting worse and worse with each word from Itachi's long silenced mouth. "You still live in your pathetic way. I did what was best for you, and you threw it away. Everyone calls you a coward. Uchiha is tainted forever because of you."_

"_SHUT UP!" Sasuke fought against his bonds, screaming as he saw the falcons begin to lower, their beady hungry gazes fixed on him._

"_Give me my eyes back, Sasuke. You don't deserve them." Sasuke screamed as the falcons ripped out his eyes. Warm blood poured from his empty sockets as the pain in his skull reached fever pitch. His neck began to burn as the blood washed over it, igniting a long forgotten fire in his chest. "You sold your body to the devil, everyone knows that. What they don't know is that you sold your soul too, and the devil is here to collect. Only this time, I'm not here to save you."_

_Fire blossomed around Sasuke, consuming him completely; the fire he had thought he had shed years ago; the fire that took him completely in, that took every thought with it, fueled by ambition and hatred. It was all coming back, and now, there was no one to put it out._

_Sasuke felt himself falling…._

"Shit…" Sasuke sat up suddenly, eyes wide. He rubbed his face, feeling the cold sweat on his brow. Lightly, he touched the place on his neck that still burned. It was hot against his fingers, as if it actually had been branded.

He looked over at the right hand side of the bed, but Sakura wasn't there. A light shone from underneath the door. Sasuke sighed, sliding out of bed to join her.

O*O*O*O*O*

"Please! Please just kill me!" Sakura sobbed, reaching behind her to clutch at Naruto's arms. He was sitting up against a wall, Sakura propped up and supported between his legs. His jacket was draped over Sakura's naked lower body, hiding the sight from both of them. Hinata was peering between Sakura's legs, brow furrowed in concentration. "Let me die! I'm begging you!"

Naruto didn't answer, just holding on to her, letting her rip ribbons in his skin with her fingernails. When she descended into soft, hopeless sobbing, he pushed the hair from her face tenderly, stroking her tear streaked cheeks. "We're here, Sakura-chan. Hold on. You can do this." She whimpered.

This was so unlike her last birth. Though Tenmaki was a difficult pregnancy, Sakura's labor was only three hours, as if Tenmaki knew it was time to be born. There was a lot of swearing, and she punched Sasuke once. When it came time to push, all Sakura could say was "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" to no one in particular. As soon as Tenmaki was delivered, all of the anger went away.

Now, here was the same woman, weakly crying on the hard ground of a cave, begging for death even if it meant the death of her child. A sheer terror that wasn't there before pervaded the air. Tenmaki's birth may have been a trial of motherhood, but this was a war for two lives, and Sakura was ready to surrender after almost thirteen hours of pain.

Suddenly, a terrible scream ripped from Sakura's throat, her fingers digging so hard into Naruto's flesh that she punctured his skin deep. Naruto went pale. "Oh fuck!" A torrent of blood washed from between Sakura's thighs, soaking Naruto's jacket and Hinata's lap.

"Naruto, please!" Hinata snapped. She reached inside her bag, taking out a plastic case and removing a sharp scalpel from it. "Sakura, deep breath. When I say push, you need to do it, no matter what you feel." Hinata didn't wait for Sakura to give an answer, turning on her Byakugan.

The scalpel disappeared from their view a second before Sakura screamed again. When Naruto could see the scalpel again, it was awash with blood, and Hinata's arm was soaked with it up to the elbow. "Naruto, hold her!" Sakura began to thrash, fighting the unimaginable pain taking her apart. Naruto grabbed her as best as he could, restraining her arms and holding Sakura against his chest. He felt the blood creeping up his legs. "You need to push, Sakura, now!" Arching her back, Sakura did as she was told.

Naruto didn't know someone had so much blood in their body, nor could be believe that Sakura was still awake after all of that. Sakura finally relaxed, shaking and crying weakly. Hinata was sweating, her hands working on something neither could see. "Please…please…" Sakura begged over and over. Naruto held his breath, shaking with the shared effort of birth. His eyes stung, and as he blinked hard, he felt tears rolling down. "Please…" she whispered one last time before the light in her eyes went out.

"Sakura!" Naruto shook her, looking desperately to Hinata. He could see a blue child in Hinata's hands, a boy with a shock of black hair. He wasn't breathing.

O*O*O*O*O*

Naruto rubbed his stomach uncomfortably. His normally invisible seal for Kyuubi had appeared last night, bringing with it a deep burning sensation. He sat at his desk, trying to finish the reports so he could get some sleep, but the pain was distracting. He wanted to avoid telling Hinata about it though, no need for her to get worried.

He looked at the clock; three in the morning. Naruto rubbed his eyes, sighing. So tired….

He sat up, ears pricking. Something was seriously wrong. As he stood from the desk, a ripping pain in his stomach made him crash to the ground. He fought it, clutching at the wooden floor for a purchase. His suddenly sharp nails scored five deep grooves in the wood. Kitsune was waking.

"No!" Naruto protested, fighting the demon down. He could feel the whisker marks, his vision was sharp and orange. Eventually, Naruto pulled himself together enough to fight his way to his feet, taking off out the window.

He could feel something happening in the Uchiha district, something wrong. He ran as fast as he could without using any chakra. In this unstable state, Kyuubi would take any opportunity to break free. It felt like an eternity, running to his best friends' house only half a mile away. With each step, the intense burn of his seal increased.

Finally, he was at the Uchiha house. Naruto was half blind with the pain, but he broke down the door and towards the screams. Tenmaki was standing at the doorway of the kitchen, hand on the doorjamb, staring with a wide eyed blank look. Naruto stopped behind her, similarly fixated on the scene in front of him.

There was black blood everywhere, Sakura covered in it, screaming, and Sasuke on the floor, gurgling dark red foam. Sasuke's half dead eyes connected with Naruto's, and Naruto felt the insidious red chakra bubble from his skin.

"Sakura!" He managed to choke out an order. She turned, face covered in the sticky substance, tear tracks cutting twin rivers in the dark blood. "Get him to the hospital, now!" Naruto fell to his knees, fighting the urge to let Kitsune take over and kill the household. "I'll stay with Tenmaki! GO!"

Sakura seemed to break her horrified trance and hauled Sasuke over her shoulder and out into the night. As soon as Sasuke was gone, the stabbing sensation died down back to its slow burn, chakra calming. Naruto took deep breaths, looking back to the five year old.

"Tenmaki, are you okay?" He sat down, back to the doorjamb. She stared still, pale and questioning. Her brow began to crinkle in distress. "It's okay, Ten-chan. Come here." Naruto held his arms out to the small girl, who broke down in tears, throwing herself into his embrace.

"Naru, what happened to Daddy? What happened?" she bawled, clutching to Naruto's jacket. Naruto stroked her hair soothingly. He swallowed, nursing deep fears, knowing what it was that had finally taken a hold of Sasuke.

"Your daddy is sick, Ten-chan. But it's going to be okay." Tenmaki looked up at him, wiping tears from her face. Naruto patted her head. "You remember Hinata-san?" She nodded, still crying a little. "Well, she's very smart. I think she may know how to make your daddy better." He smiled with a confidence he didn't feel. Tenmaki gave him a shaky smile in return. "You feel a little better now?" She didn't respond, only to grasp herself back into Naruto's tear soaked shirt.

Naruto just hugged her again, hoping his words would come true, wondering anxiously _Why is Kyuubi coming out? And why did I suddenly want to kill? What's happening to us?_

As the sun came up on Konoha with no word from Sakura or Sasuke, Naruto was still holding an exhausted Tenmaki. _Gaara will know what to do. He's had a demon before. Surely this has happened to him too._

O*O*O*O*O*

_Come back… _Sakura could feel her life fading away. After all the pain, both emotional and physical, she was ready to let go, to be with the rest of the dead in their land of dust. She too wanted to just be the particles in the wind, gazing without interest on the land of the living.

_Come back, Sakura…_ Suddenly, through the dim gray that had enveloped her, she saw him, striding towards her. Those black eyes rimmed with almost female eyelashes. Itachi smiled at her. At this, she was convinced she had died.

_You need to live, Sakura._

_Why?_ she questioned back. _I want to stay here with you._

Itachi looked at her in his special way, his smoldering eyes gazing into her soul, those eyes that she dreamt of every night. _Sakura, I'm not here. I am not far, I promise. We will meet again, sometime soon, but you have to live._

_Where? Where are you?_

_Wake up. Wake up now. _Itachi smiled, head tilted, eyes closed. _Your son is crying for you._

_I have no son._ Sakura thought bitterly. _My newborn is dead, and I will die with him._

_Sakura. Wake up. Naruto needs you. Sasuke needs you. And most of all your son needs you. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up._

"SAKURA! Wake up!" Sakura shook her head weakly, opening her eyes. Naruto's blue eyes were looking down at her. He smiled. "Sakura! You have a son!"

"What?" she mumbled thickly. Hinata was at her side, smiling widely, flushing with joy, her hoodie in a bundle in her arms. "Son?" Nodding, Hinata placed the bundle on Sakura's chest. A pale boy with black hair sticking up wildly wailed at her from the fabric. Breathless, she wrapped her arms around the tiny being. He stopped crying, becoming peaceful.

Naruto helped her sit up a little against him so she could feed her newborn. Sakura didn't care that Naruto was right there, so entranced was she by the little miracle in her arms.

"That's…wow…" Naruto whispered in amazement. "I've never seen… what's his name going to be?"

Sakura thought, stroking the cheek of the tiny five pound child as he nursed. "I think I'm going to have to talk to Sasuke about that." She looked up at Naruto, who was gazing at the baby with a look of awe. Any other day, she would have called him a pervert and hit him, but she knew he was looking at her newborn, completely taken in by the experience of giving birth. She smiled tiredly, grateful for his support, the way he shared her pain. Sakura could see the bloody streaks on his arms and the blooming bruises she had inflicted on him. "I was thinking Minato."

Naruto looked up at her, shocked, then he grinned, rubbing the baby's hair. "Gonna steal my first kid's name, eh?" Sakura laughed weakly, feeling herself falling asleep.

She could finally rest.

O*O*O*O*O*

"Uchiha-san, wake up." A warm hand shook his shoulder gently. He winced, shifting around.

"Where am I?" He struggled to focus on the faces above him.

"The hospital, Uchiha-san." The first voice spoke. "You've been asleep for quite a while." He rubbed his eyes with heavy, unfamiliar hands.

"I'm not dead." It was somewhere between a statement and a question. The fog cleared and he could see their smiling faces. "Shizune?"

"Yes. And you remember Hinata? She saved your life."

He could vaguely remember such a person, from a long time ago, like a dream. His hands felt at his head, finding a long braid of charcoal hair. His hair. So many pieces missing…. Everything was swirling in his mind. He pushed himself up to sitting, feeling his hair, staring at his body. It was thin and pale, in white pajamas. His name…..

Uchiha Itachi.

**WHOO! That was exhausting, and it's prolly confusing, but it's something to nibble on. Please review, and try not to kill me.**


	2. Too Far Away for Far Too Long

**Next chapter! This one is on the light side, so don't expect it to last, but I knew you guys would like a little taster here.**

"Uchiha-san, wake up." A warm hand shook his shoulder gently. He winced, shifting around.

"Where am I?" He struggled to focus on the faces above him.

"The hospital, Uchiha-san." The first voice spoke. "You've been asleep for quite a while." He rubbed his eyes with heavy, unfamiliar hands.

"I'm not dead." It was somewhere between a statement and a question. The fog cleared and he could see their smiling faces. "Shizune?"

"Yes. And you remember Hinata? She saved your life."

He could vaguely remember such a person, from a long time ago, like a dream. His hands felt at his head, finding a long braid of charcoal hair. His hair. So many pieces missing…. A name came to mind. "Tsunade?"

Shizune's smile slipped a little. "She didn't survive the attack on Konoha."

Another name. "Naruto?"

The purple haired doctor smiled wider and blushed. "It's Naruto-sama now. He's Hokage." Everything was swirling in his mind. He pushed himself up to sitting, feeling his hair, staring at his body. It was thin and pale, in white pajamas. His name…..

Uchiha Itachi.

"Sasuke? What about him?" The two women looked uneasily at each other. "Is he still recovering? Shouldn't Naruto be recovering as well?"

"Um, Uchiha-san, you've been in a coma for five years. A lot has changed." It felt as though someone had dumped a bucket of ice water on him.

"Five years?" Hinata nodded. Itachi shifted so his feet hung off the edge of the bed. "How did I survive? If the Nabe's didn't, then surely Sasuke would have-"

"Shizune-senpai took you to the hospital. We kept you in a coma while we-" Hinata looked uneasy.

"We tried some experimental treatments for your Nabe's," Shizune took over. "Since you were legally dead, we thought it a good time to try and save you without political repercussions. It took a long time, and we almost lost you, but you are cured. You no longer have Nabe's."

Itachi's eyes widened. "How-"

"Radiation treatments, mostly. We destroyed the bone marrow that was making defective blood cells and replaced it with donor marrow."

"So, I'm healthy?" he asked slowly, one final thought swirling around and around in his head, growing until it consumed him.

"Well, we need to monitor your condition, but yes, I-" As soon as he heard "yes" he was off the bed, bolting for the door. "Wait!"

Itachi ignored the shouts, dashing down the halls wildly. He stumbled, but didn't let himself slow. Before anyone could stop him, he slammed open the main doors and was out into the crisp night air. He inhaled deeply, relishing his ability to do so, feeling free. His goal snapped him to attention, taking him off in the opposite direction.

Itachi noted his discoordination, the way he tripped and wobbled as he ran into the back alleys. He didn't want to be seen, most especially not like this. His bare feet pounded the rocky ground in rhythm with his heart. Internally, he swore at himself for his clumsiness. It slowed him enough to frustrate. He remembered when he could cross this distance within seconds, but he didn't trust his traitorous body to cooperate enough to shunshin.

Itachi even try to turn his Sharingan on. He didn't need it. Her scent hung heavy in the district. He surmised she must have been living in the Uchiha compound for some time. He stuck to the side streets as he searched, wandering the rows of housing.

There.

He came to a stop in the garden by a shrine. Her back was to him. She still wore the same clothes as she did when Itachi had seen her last. She was touching the sakura blossoms. Itachi didn't know what to do, so he practiced what had always worked: he waited.

Then, slowly, she turned. Itachi forgot to breathe. Even though her face was different, drawn, tired, resigned, it was still…. "Sakura."

She looked him up and down. "So now you're going to haunt me during waking hours? My nightmares weren't enough for you? That, or I'm hallucinating. I'm not sure which is worse." Needless to say, this was not the reception Itachi was expecting. Sakura sighed heavily, frowning. "Yeah, great timing. As if I needed reminding." Itachi stood still, thinking of what to do. "And this time you're not talking. Had enough of telling me that you're alive somewhere? Can I give up hope now?" she spat bitterly. He could tell his presence was unraveling her calm. Slowly he approached her. "Your hair's longer this time. And you're paler. Guess the ghost thing is really working out for you." He reached for her hand. "Oh will you just go the fuck away before I-"

His fingers coiled around her palm. Sakura's eyes shot open wide, gasping. He looked deep into her eyes as he lifted her hand to touch his lips. "You're dead, I saw you. You're-you're-" Tears pooled in the eyes Itachi fell in love with years ago. "Itachi." He guided her hand around his cheeks, feeling the softness of those perfect fingers.

"Did you really think death could keep us apart, Sakura?" He leaned down, pressing a sweet kiss onto her mouth. When he pulled back, she was still staring at him in disbelief. There was a long pause as her tears dried, biting her lip the way she did when she was thinking. A split second later, she made up her mind.

Her hand flipped around his, seizing his palm, yanking him forward as she ran. Itachi followed obediently, his wobbly legs barely keeping up with her. She rounded a corner, opening a door, jerking him inside. As soon as the door was shut, Sakura slammed him into it, holding him there with a fierce kiss.

Itachi parted his lips without hesitation, their tongues tangling together in a long forgotten dance. He curled his fingers into her back as she moaned passionately. Sakura grabbed the zip on her top, pulling off the bandages binding her chest. She forced Itachi's hands from her waist to grab her breasts. Itachi groaned. Her breasts were larger than he remembered, her ass rounder, her stomach supple and fleshy. She appeared much more womanly now, with a glow he couldn't place.

Her nails scrabbled at the waistband of his pants. "Slow down Sakura," he murmured against her hungry lips.

"I don't want to," she breathed back. "I want you inside me, now." Her words sent a delicious chill up his spine. He crushed his mouth to hers, enjoying the ways she writhed against him. He slipped his fingers under her skirt to start pulling her little black shorts off. She finished the job, kicking them off. Before he knew what was happening, she had him out in her hand, grasping with a skill she hadn't had before.

Itachi took his turn to push her into the wall, cupping her legs with his arms, lifting them so she was open and inviting to him. Sakura reached down to guide him into place, the other hand around his neck. He brushed past her entrance and shivered.

"Please, Itachi," she moaned into his ear. That did it. He plunged in.

Sakura's head snapped back, letting out a long husky sound of pleasure. Itachi put his face to her neck, biting his lip as he moaned. She was so unbelievably tight and wet, swollen and rippling on his shaft. He shifted his hips a little and a spasm shot though Sakura, causing her to buck against him and clutch at his braided hair. She rotated her hips, wriggling her legs to be freed. Obligingly, Itachi let go of her knees so she could lock her ankles around his waist. He felt her slipping. In response, Itachi gave a forceful push into the wall. She cried out again, yanking on his braid to make him look up. "More," she moaned against his lips. Itachi picked up a moderate, but powerful pace. He didn't tease, but with each thrust, he went deep before pulling almost all the way out.

Itachi couldn't resist looking at her while he pleasured her. At this moment, he could care less about his own enjoyment, deriving all his pleasure from hers. Sakura undulated her back in time with his movements, lending a fluidity to their dance.

Sakura started whispering under her breath, first with her eyes closed, barely audible. Her shoulders shook. Itachi nosed her cheek. "Sakura, what's wrong?" He slowed, but she clutched him harder, willing him to keep going.

Her eyes finally connected with his. "Please don't let this be goodbye. Not like last time. Stay with me, please! Stay!" To Itachi's eternal sadness, she began to cry.

"Never. I'm never leaving again." He crushed his mouth to hers, willing her pain and loneliness to disappear, willing it inside himself. He never wanted to see her suffer ever again.

Their bodies molded together, forms fitting to the other's shape. Itachi could feel that ball of fire within himself, growing and building, reaching critical mass. He did his best to hold off, trying to fulfill her first. Sakura must have felt him holding back.

"I want it," she said breathily, still moist eyes boring deep into his. "Please, give it to me." At her request, Itachi let go, letting her have what she wanted. It must have set her off, because he felt her ripple around him, panting. It was all too much.

He found himself screaming her name, hard. It was almost involuntary. With every repetition, Sakura convulsed and groaned, seemingly enjoying it as much as he was. "Sakura, Sakura, Sakura," he couldn't stop saying it over and over.

Itachi felt as though he would faint. He leaned heavily into her, their foreheads touching. Maybe it was a bit much for him to do this so soon after waking up. Sakura traced her fingers over Itachi's cheeks and neck delicately.

"Thank you…..thank you…." Itachi didn't need to ask what she was thanking him for. If he had the breath, he would be thanking right back.

A childlike wail echoed through the empty house. Itachi and Sakura jumped.

Sakura smacked the back of her head against the wall. "Fuck."

**Alright, lovelies, here it is! Enjoy and please review!**


	3. What I Left Behind

Sakura smacked the back of her head against the wall. "Fuck."

Itachi pricked his ears as Sakura gently pushed him back so she could stand on her feet again. It was definitely a baby crying. He watched her hop around to put her clothes back on, similarly straightening himself out. She motioned for him to follow. "We're pretty much alone here, so you can tell me everything."

"I should say the same thing." She colored a little as they went back out into the night, half jogging back to the garden. Itachi followed her through the back door of a clearly new house, down a few halls, and up the stairs to the source of the wailing.

"Shush, shush, aka-chan," Sakura murmured into the ear of a black haired baby as she lifted it of out the crib. "Ka-san is here. I'm sorry." Itachi stared in shock, watching the child calm, noting the unruly black hair. Sakura turned back to Itachi, gently bouncing the baby in her arms. "Look, it's your uncle." The infant's coal black eyes connected with Itachi's, and he caught a breath. He looked exactly like Sasuke. "He likes you." Sakura smiled proudly. "You want to hold him?"

Itachi silently held out his arms, unable to speak. He cradled the tiny warm body against his chest, just like he did to a three month old Sasuke all those years ago. He'd forgotten the comfort of holding a baby. The little raven gurgled happily. Sakura stroked her child's messy locks. "Looks just like his daddy, doesn't he?" Itachi nodded. "I couldn't decide on Minato or Sasuke for his name, but Sasuke would have none of it." She sighed. "Men and their sons. Finally I just let him choose. Madara is as good a name as any."

Itachi looked up sharply. "What did you say his name was?"

Sakura was startled by his dark tone. "Madara." His fingers curled.

"Where did Sasuke get that name?"

"I think it's from the Uchiha family tree. Why?"

Itachi looked back down at Madara, who had fallen asleep. "Just an interesting name from him to pick," Itachi said softly. There was a long silence before Itachi spoke again. "So, you married Sasuke?" Unexpectedly, his tone wasn't in the least bit unpleasant. He sounded almost as if he wanted to congratulate her.

"Yes." Sakura glanced at her wedding ring, the low light glinting off the half carat solitaire. Simple. Elegant. Perfectly befitting the wife of a prominent clan leader.

"How long?"

"About five years."

"You waited a long time to have children," he observed, his focus on the sleeping baby in his arms. A little bubble formed at Madara's tiny lips. As it popped, Itachi's content smile widened.

"Um, not really…" Sakura trailed off. Itachi looked up, an unmistakable excited gleam in his eye.

"You have more?" Sakura was taken aback. Itachi seemed eager to see her children, even if they were his brother's. Sakura had never realized how much Itachi loved children. After all, she had never seen him with any. "How many?"

"Just one more, Tenmaki."

"Boy or girl?"

"A girl." Sakura smiled fondly. Of course she loved her son very much, but Tenmaki was her first. She was already becoming like her mother, developing similar traits. She was exceptionally smart. "She turned five this November. She'll be starting school soon." Itachi smiled, a glow of happiness surrounding him.

"Where is she now?"

"Oh, she's with Naruto in the Hokage's building. You'll meet her soon enough." She paused, her eyes wandering away. "Oh, yeah," she snapped out of it. "Naruto is-"

"Hokage, I know. Hinata-isha told me."

"She-she did?" Sakura blinked confusedly, realizing she didn't know about how Itachi had come back.

Itachi was still gazing in adoration at his nephew. "When I woke up in the hospital."

"You've been in the hospital this whole time?"

Itachi nodded, and Sakura's heart skipped a beat. _I'm not far, I promise._ He had been right there all those years, in the same village, in the same building. He really had never left her.

He looked up with his eyes sparkling with true joy. "And I'm not sick anymore. Hinata cured me."

"What?" Sakura whispered, hardly daring to believe it. Itachi's smile broadened.

"I don't quite understand it myself, but I don't know if I even care." Gingerly, Itachi put Madara back in his crib, facing Sakura to take her hands. "I'm here now." Sakura's breath caught. Itachi smiled softly, kissing her hands. "And I have no wish to ruin such a beautiful family." He let go, letting her arms drop limply as he turned away. "I'm so happy for you, Sakura-chan."

Itachi felt something in himself rip as he headed towards the door. She was happy, as he always wanted. He knew there was more to what he missed, but somehow, he couldn't bring himself to hear more. Sakura was married, with two children. Two children who were not his. Who was he to break that apart? He shouldn't have even come. Joy intertwined with pain, a long wicked knife buried in his heart. He paused, one hand touching the doorjamb.

"Itachi?" Sakura's voice was hopeful, a sharp contrast to what he felt. He couldn't breathe. Her pitch increased. "Itachi, what's wrong?" Couldn't breathe. No air. Gasping. Maybe he shouldn't have exerted himself so much so soon. "Itachi!"

O*O*O*O*O*

"Itachi!" Sakura couldn't suppress a scream as he crumpled to the floor. She dashed to his side. "You said you were cured!" As she flipped him over, she checked his mouth and eyes. There was no blood. She shook him vigorously. "Itachi! Wake up!"

"Sakura-senpai?" Sakura heard the door open, the sweet voice of Hinata floating through the house.

"Up here!" Hinata's footsteps were rapid, rushed on by the urgency in Sakura's tone. She streaked into the doorway, collapsing with a medic's efficiency next to a comatose Itachi. His eyelids were lifted, nose and mouth checked, Hinata's ear to his chest to monitor his heart. Sakura panted, breathless, finally understanding the helpless look that family members got when at the site of a nasty injury.

Hinata looked up. "He's fine. Everything is normal." She frowned. "He shouldn't have been exerting himself." Sakura forced herself to hold Hinata's gaze through her sudden and crushing guilt.

"How did you know he was here?" Hinata's eyes sparked, and Sakura swallowed hard. "Ah. I see." Hinata nodded slowly.

"These eyes see more that one would think." Hinata turned her gaze back on Itachi, noting his even, smooth breathing. "I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner. Waking up is quite a shock as it is." Sakura's hackles rose as she recalled one very essential part of information that she only now was privy to.

"Itachi was in our hospital for five years?" Her voice was strained with suppressed hurt, anger, sadness, and strangely enough, relief.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Sakura-senpai," Hinata said quietly, her eyes cast demurely downward. "It's just- if it didn't work- if I had-" Of course Sakura understood. It's why they never told a patient's condition to any of their loved ones during a surgery. So many things go wrong, but a patient can still pull through against all odds. On the other hand, a patient may do well all the way through, and crash at the last second. Sakura would never tell them until the surgery had ended, when the visible end result was laying in the bed before the family. Near misses and freak deaths were common. It saved them the agony. At least, if you didn't know the answer, you could hold a tiny hope that everything was going to be okay.

Sakura sighed. "He's cured."

Hinata nodded. "He is cured." She caught the pinkette's eye once again. Sakura's eyes widened.

"Sasuke?"

"We aren't sure," Hinata corrected. "But if he's a success, that speaks some possibility for Sasuke-san."

Sakura shook her head, confused about her feelings. It was very strange to love two brothers, even weirder for one to be legally dead, but still alive. She loved them in two different ways, like the way she loved her children. What could she do? What was she to say? What now?

Hinata seemed to pick up on these thoughts. She laid a hand on one of Sakura's arms, which were still wrapped possessively around the eldest Uchiha. "Sakura-san, not now." Tears gathered in Sakura's eyes. "What's important right now is getting them both healthy. We can deal with the rest later." Slowly, Hinata pried Sakura from her once lover. "Let me take him. Let go. He's safe with me." Sakura shuddered with barely contained sobs as Hinata lifted him over her shoulder. If it weren't for her complex emotions, it would have been humorous, a tiny girl lifting a grown man over her back. "Take care, Sakura-chan."

Before she could protest, Hinata had taken off. Sakura took a deep breath, preparing for huge cries of anguish to rip from her throat, when a mild whine emanated from her youngest. She let the air out with a shaky breath, standing.

"Shush, Madara. It's alright. He'll be back." She cuddled the tiny body to her chest, willing the small child to quiet. He did, but she kept repeating herself, almost as if she wasn't talking to the baby, but her own quaking and scared self. "He'll be back. I promise. He's not leaving. He promised. He promised. He's coming back…"

**Please review, and sorry for the delay!**


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